That Stupid Social Ladder
by PK-Jenny
Summary: Meet Akari. She's just your typical, average tomboy. Now, meet Chase. He's just your typical, ever-popular jerkface. Everyone's riding different levels here on this stupid, social ladder we call high school.
1. Chapter 1

**THAT STUPID SOCIAL LADDER**

_Meet Akari. She's just your typical, average tomboy._

Chapter One

-/-

There he was. Gill Hamilton. Wow...he was too perfect.

He was beautiful and smart and-

"Yah, Akari, are you even listening to me?"

Who dare disturb me while I'm fantasizing about my dream guy?

I snapped my head to face their direction and pouted whilst giving them a quick glare.

Of course, they weren't fazed at all...not in the slightest. It was just my best friend, Kathy.

She knew what was up.

She simply pinched my cheek and teased, "Aww, wittle Akari is dweaming 'bout her twue wove?" She let go and laughed while I rubbed my stinging cheek. Damn, she had a good grip. "Stop drooling, it's pathetic..."

"But...he's just so...so beautiful..."

Kathy scoffed. "He's not that great." That was easy for her so say when she had ALL these other guys- too many to count- all over her...while I had NONE. Kathy was _A_-TTRACTIVE! She was naturally beautiful inside and out. Needless to say, I was jealous...

"Yeah, but, he's only been my crush since...forever..."

She rolled her eyes in response and smiled at me. "Well, if he hasn't noticed you yet, that's _his _loss." Ah, what did I do to deserve such a great friend as her? What can I say? I was a lucky girl...'cept the fact that I was still single.

I mean, I wasn't _desperate _or anything...but sometimes I just think that maaaaybe-

"Akari? AKARI! Stop zoning out on me like that."

"Huh? Oh, sorry... You were sayin'?"

"Why haven't you asked Gill out if you like 'im so much?"

"Haha...well, you see, funny story..." Kathy raised an eyebrow at me. "I don't even think he knows I exist..."

The beautiful blonde sighed at me. "Soo...what? You've just been stalking him the past four years?"

I gasped dramatically like in one of those dramas. "I'm not a creepy, stalker freak! I'm...an admirer...from afar." I pathetically finished.

"Do you only admire him for his looks? 'Cause that's just sad..."

"NO! There's more to it than that..." I mumbled.

Kathy rested her chin into her hand and smiled softly, expecting some backstory to all this.

-/-

I sighed.

I told her about how four years back, at the beginning of eighth grade, we had a spirit assembly to kick off the school year and our "first step on the road to maturity," the principal's words, not mine.

I remember Kathy and I sitting in the far back where teachers wouldn't easily catch us if we did something stupid...haha, which we totally did.

We shouted random, obnoxious things with our other friends, not at all interested in what whoever could be up there was saying.

That is until a certain platinum blonde caught my attention.

The entire staff of the school wanted to promote some stupid crap like "responsibility" and "hardwork" that school year, so they decided instead of just having some boring adults up there, perhaps, we'd be more interested if someone our age went up there to "connect with us."

They decided to pick a freshman from high school who graduated here just last summer to say a few words to us "impressionable young children," perhaps giving some advice about what to expect in school this year.

Pretty much no one gave the young gentleman the time of day, 'cept some people, including yours truly.

I listened, focusing every ounce of attention I had on him, and held onto every word he said.

I was absolutely captivated.

I know that saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover," but I couldn't help it.

I just knew...

When I first laid my eyes on him...I wanted him.

I also told Kathy about what happened after the assembly.

The second it was over, waves of people flooded out of the auditorium, going on with their normal lives.

Being the midget I was, I got caught in one of the waves and got separated from Kathy. I wandered about looking for the elusive blonde.

And, of course, fate just couldn't resist the chance to mess with me...

On my way out, I bumped into Gill, literally. Yes, I had caught his name in the middle of his..._wordy_ speech.

I felt my face immediately heat up.

He politely ignored my awkwardness and smiled down at me. That had to have been the single greatest moment of my life. I felt as if I had been blessed by the Harvest Goddess herself.

I tried to apologize but no words came out, just empty silence.

He noticed this and waited for me to say something.

No words. He had taken my breath away.

I merely turned away as my face grew brighter and mumbled a quick "Sorry!" before running away.

Yeah...good times...

I completed my story and smiled at Kathy, expecting her usual "d'aww..."

...

"...What a load of _bull_." she laughed.

_Sigh_...nevermind...

-/-

As we left our physics class together, Kathy continued rambling from out lunchtime conversation, "I don't mean to hurt your feelings, Akari, I just mean it still sounds like you only like him for his looks..."

I felt a vein bulge. It damn near popped. "You just don't understand! He's perfect!"

Kathy gave me a questioning look.

I started counting on my fingers. "He's smart, he's gorgeous, he's popular, he's nice and polite, he's..._perfect_."

"Oh, yeah, definitely..." said Kathy sarcastically.

"Ok, fine, well to me he is..."

"Girl, you've got it baaaad..." she said laughing at me for the umpteenth time that day.

I pouted and stomped away from her dramatically. I wasn't really mad at her. I guess this was just payback when I teased her about Owen, the star quarterback of the school.

In the process of doing so, I didn't notice a person running toward me.

I, being smaller, was toppled over and landed my ass on the hard tiled floor.

I shot a glare at the person towering over me...or at the back of their head.

"Hey! Aren't you going to apologize?" I demanded.

He turned around and saw me on the floor and started laughing as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

Chase. The hottest guy in school, wanted by practically the entire female population, and guys, if they were into that sort of stuff. Now, I didn't exactly agree with that description since I had Gill, well, I didn't _have _him, but...I had...him in my fantasies? Um, a-anyways, I didn't agree with it, but it really said something about his looks.

I hate to admit, but he _was_ cute, but he was being a total asswipe right now!

Girls saw a sex god while all I saw was someone who needed to apologize to me...right now. And I didn't damn well care if he was a senior.

I continued to glare, waiting.

And then...

He winked at me. As if one wink would blow all my troubles away. He continued to laugh his bony ass off as he walked away.

I was shocked. That's it. That's all he _frickin'_ did.

...Of course, I let my anger get the best of me, but...I wanted to kill him. A good swift kick in the balls or two couldn't hurt either.

"Akari, oh my gawd, are you okay? I saw everything. Actually, everyone did..." Kathy came running up to me, flailing her arms.

I was lost. "That...asshole..."

"That guy may be handsome, but he was a jerk," said Kathy.

"Yeah, he may be good-looking, I guess, but he's ugly as hell compared to Gill."

"You still up on that?"

I shot her a look. She waved her hands at me. "All right, all right, if that's what you want, who'm I to judge?" She wrapped an arm comfortingly around my shoulders. "Let's go get some ice cream. It'll take your mind off of it."

"Cookie dough?"

"Sure, no problem."

* * *

><p><em>Yes, I wrote another story. First few chapters are usually short. (<strong>FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOMED! PM me or leave a quick post here: .nettopic/99990/53351580/1/**) Sometimes, I can't sleep at night. I toss and turn, but it's useless...so I whip out my phone (because I keep it under my pillow) and start writing random stuff. Then...this story came to be. I should probably work on my other ones though... I actually have a few other chapters done, but I'm thinking I should keep them to myself for now, so I can just update if I haven't in a while...'cause let's face it, I'm not gonna be able to do this all the time._

_Now, moving on to other issues..._

_I want to include a mean girl in this story, because I mean come on. What's a social ladder without a mean girl? It's a must need!_

_I was thinking of using two commonly used characters-_

_Luna, but I like her. :)_

_And Maya, but she's not that mean. People just portray her that way because she's with Chase._

_But, I absolutely NEED a mean girl! So who will it be?_

_I could always use an original character, but... I suck at those..._

_If anyone has any ideas, that would be great! Maybe I'll post a poll or something..._

**_The choices? Something along the lines of:_**

**_-Luna, suck it up and do it, dammit_**

**_-Maya, suck it up and frickin' do it_**

**_-OC (original character)_**

**_-OC, since you don't have an idea, I'll lend you one (PM me please)_**

**_-Other HM character (PM me, yes?) [Selena is also very possible...]_**

**_-A mean girl isn't THAT important.../Don't need one_**

_So it'd be great if you guys could tell me what you think! I need ideas, so I can write more...lots more... I guess you could say I'm trying to make up for lost time._


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey, there's a forum for this story! Which can be found right here on this site: http:/ /www. forum. fanfiction .net/topic/99990/53351580/1/_

_There's spaces in that link though._

_While you're at it, why not visit this one too? Hint hint... It's about all my stories in general: http:/ /www. fanfiction. net/topic/99990/51756001/1/#51778538_

_(Spaces here too!)_

* * *

><p><strong><em>THAT STUPID SOCIAL LADDER<em>**

_Now, meet Chase. He's just your typical, ever-popular jerkface._

Chapter Two

-/-

"Hey, what's this?" asked Kathy to particularly no one as she ripped one of the many colorful flyers hanging on the walls throughout the entire school. "Is _this_ what the senior class is doing to raise money this year?"

Ah, yes, senior fundraisers...

They have a whole bunch of them throughout the whole school year to raise money for their prom night, which is to allegedly be the best prom this school has ever seen according to a gossiping Luna.

This was just one of many... "What are they doing this time?" I asked, disinterest eminent in my voice.

"They're selling roses for Valentine's Day," replied Kathy. I watched as her beautiful, bold green eyes skimmed down the paper. I felt a twinge of jealousy again, but I shrugged it off. This was my best friend for crying out loud! But...I was just so...plain and boring.

"How cliche..." I scoffed.

"I know, right- oh, but hey!"

Kathy sounded suddenly interested. "...What?"

She began reading parts out loud, "'Valentine's Day Lovers Dance' and 'Free food and refreshments!'"

I felt my face twitch. "That's it? You expected me to go crazy over that?"

Kathy laughed. "Oh, so you are listening! Okay, well, here's the real good part. Some of the seniors are selling themselves off to the lowerclassmen! It's like one of those charity things celebrities do to raise money. They have an auction where people spend money to spend time with them. Haha, how great is that? No doubt girls will buy some guys to go out with. But, hey! This is even better! There's also going to be an amusement park! We've been wanting to go to one for a while now, remember?"

"Wow, the seniors are really going all out this time, huh?"

"Well, I'm not surprised. We're probably going to have to do the exact same thing next year. Valentine's Day is a good way to make money with all these hormone-crazed, lovesick teenagers hanging around!"

"Pfft, no way. I don't give a damn about prom, so they can't include me next year participating in fundraisers!"

"Well, I say, 'Pfft,' back! I'm gonna _drag_ you to prom next year!"

"'Pfft' to you too..."

-/-

Today, my calculus class was interrupted by two seniors. Apparently, they, along with other senior couples, were going around spreading the word of their fundraiser.

I ignored them for the most part until Kathy elbowed me. I turned toward her and gave a questioning look. She simply nodded forward toward the seniors.

Ugh...

It was peach head, that damn bastard.

He looked bored like he didn't want to be there at all, probably forced into this, I'm guessing.

Then I snapped my eyes to his partner. Maya.

I knew her because we sat at the same table at lunch with our two different groups of friends.

Sometimes, she and a couple of her friends would just ask us juniors random questions.

She was pretty nice, but we didn't talk to each other much other than that.

She had strawberry blonde hair, which was always up in two gravity-defying braids and bright blue eyes.

I think she liked Chase, but he didn't even give her the time of day. What an ass.

Maya was cute, she could do so much better.

"So, basically," she said in her high voice, "You can buy white roses and give them to your crush! We'll be selling them throughout the entire week! Hopefully, your crush'll buy you one in return!"

She continued doing all the explaining, so that lazy bum, Chase, didn't have to do anything.

"Chase, here, and I will demonstrate!"

She giggled and handed him a white rose. She simply folded her hands behind her back and waited for a reply, rocking back and forth on her heels.

Chase just stared at the flower in his hand and, making a bigger ass of himself- if that was possible- threw a yellow rose back at the girl.

I wasn't paying attention to the explanations earlier, but...I think...

...I think that was a rejection.

Not wanting to cry in front of our class, Maya held back her sobs, and with a soft, stuttering voice, tried to finish up what was left of their presentation, "A-a-and th-that's h-how i-i-i-it-it-it...works..."

She gave a quick bow before running out of the room, tears running down her pale face.

Chase didn't say anything, like he had been doing the entire time, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The class was silent.

Then slowly and hesistantly, everyone continued what they were doing before all the drama.

-/-

As expected, the seniors were raking in the dough from their rose sale. Turns out Kathy wasn't kidding. The school was filled with desperate girls and guys. That or they were just horny enough to accept any kind of love they could get. It didn't seem to matter to anyone.

And, of course, all the girls were buying roses for a specific someone...Chase.

He was surrounded by lovesick gals, each pushing their way toward him, knocking out as many other potential threats they could on the way.

Now, normally, I wouldn't mind this, seeing how furious and annoyed Chase was, but when they bring this little scene to my locker, that's where I have to force myself to get involved and take action.

There was just no way I could get to my locker like this, and I wasn't going to wait for this to die down. Who knew how long _that_ would take?

"HEY!" Everyone snapped their heads toward me. "Get your asses outta here, so I can get to my damn locker!"

...They all ignored me. God dammit...I don't even look a bit intimidating for them to move? Apparently not...

"Hey." And, just like that, all the girls stopped talking, each probably hoping it was directed toward them.

They all shot me looks when Chase walked toward me. "This your locker?" he pointed.

"Yeah, well, no duh, Sherlock. I just said it was five seconds ago..."

He glared at me. "Want me to move?"

"Yeah, get your ass and your fangirls outta here."

His glare intensified. "Respect your elders, bitch! I'm a senior!"

"Yeah, respect senior citizens, meaning not you. Unless...how many years were you held back?"

Nothing. No snide comment? Fine. I win.

I tried walking past him, but he sidestepped in front of me. Each time I moved, he mirrored the action. "Excuse me?" I asked harshly.

"No," he said simply.

"Dammit! I don't wanna play games!"

"Who's playing?" he smirked.

My eyes widened. I couldn't believe him! "Screw you, asshole!" I span on my heel and stomped away huffily.

I heard his voice in the distance as I walked as far away from him as possible.

"Haha, score one for Chase..."


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey there, guys! Wanna be cool and vote in this poll for me? That'd be really cool if you did as it is VITAL to the plot of this story. Seriously, I need you to vote, so I can continue this story. It's right here, just a few clicks, and you're done: http:/ / www. fanfiction. net/topic/99990/53351580/1/ (don't forget to get rid of those darn spaces)_

_Gonna point out some names here: DesertRoseSparty and maple lover_

_Thanks for not being shy, the reviews, and comments! :)_

_Lots o' love,_

_Jenny_

* * *

><p><strong>THAT STUPID SOCIAL LADDER<strong>

_Everyone's riding different levels here on this stupid, social ladder we call high school._

Chapter Three

-/-

Dammit! Dammit! _DAMMIT!_

That god damn Chase and his _god_ _damn_ fangirls!

Because of him, I didn't get my damn physics homework out of my _damn_ locker!

Now, here I was, desperately copying Luke's...

I wasn't shooting for an A as you can see, but..._dammit_! I had to turn in something! I can't let my GPA slip any farther away from Gill's perfect GPA of 5...

The blue-haired boy rested his cheek in the palm of his hand, giving me a goofy grin. "Gee, who knew one day Akari, smart Akari, would go to me, 'dumb ol' Luke,' for homework help one day?" Luke was a senior, but he was retaking physics, having failed it the previous year.

"Shut up," I snapped at him. "It's all that damn Chase's fault anyway!"

Luke continued smiling. "Chase isn't so bad once you get to know 'im, Akari. He can be nice sometimes."

"I'll believe it when I see it, which would be never."

Luke shrugged.

The bell rang, indicating the end of passing period. Our teacher, Mr. Baker, got up and closed the door.

"Morning, class, pass your homework up to the front."

Shit! I hastily scribbled down the last few answers, which of course, were horribly wrong, and tossed it into the stack of papers.

I heaved a sigh of relief and slid down into my seat.

"Hey, how's your day been so far?" asked Kathy as I slumped down next to her as low as possible.

"Pretty shitty..."

"Akari! Why do you cuss so much? You're too masculine!"

"No, I'm a tomboy..."

"No. You're not. You make tomboys look like ballet dancers...in purple tutus."

I narrowed my eyes at her. She had a point though. While all the other girls went to the mall to go shopping and get manicures at the salon, I played outside with my brothers and their friends. Soccer, football, street hockey, you name it, I play it.

I mean, just look at Kathy! She could probably get any guys if she tried. She didn't, but she could. And, why do we think this is possible?

Simple. She was pretty. I was not. She was girly. I was not. She was elegant and graceful. I was clumsy and cussed like hell.

Kathy was right. I was an extreme-tomboy, with all too plain looks. Cropped, choppy brown hair and boring brown eyes to match. As people have said before to me- like straight to my face because they thought I wouldn't care but _did_- I was a skinny toothpick, no curves at all, and I was as flat as a board.

Look at Kathy. Curvy, eye-catching, beautiful.

Why were we friends again?

...Because we depended on each other. We were too different on the outside, but our personalities just went together harmoniously.

I was jealous of Kathy's perfection, I'll admit, but...

I feel great when I come to her rescue. I liked pretending that Kathy needed me and depended on me, like she couldn't stand on her own. Just knowing that even someone as amazing as her needs help from someone like _me_, makes me feel like we're not so different after all...

In fact, we're exactly alike. She has her flaws. I have mine. We need each other.

-/-

It was Wednesday, and every Wednesday, I would meet Kathy after school to go horseback riding at Renee's.

My mind kept flashing back to the conversation we had earlier today at lunch.

_"You're such a man!" Kathy laughed at me when I belched rather loudly, but her amusement was all in good nature really._

_I blushed a bit and mumbled to myself before going back to drinking my Dr. Pepper._

_I began to sip at it more slowly and in small amounts to prevent another gas leak._

_Kathy seemed to have taken notice of it and said, "You okay? I didn't mean to insult you, Akari, I'm sorry..."_

_"It's okay. It's not you. It's me." It felt like I was trying to break up with her. "It's just...you're girly, and I'm...not."_

_"You just noticed?" she smiled at me softly._

_"No. I've known for a long time, but for some reason, now...it's starting to bother me." Kathy nodded, urging me to go on. "I don't wanna be all-out girly, but you know, every once in a while... I-I just want people to know that I can dress or act like a girl if I wanted to! ...I just don't want to."_

My mind flashed backward once more.

_"Akari, dear. Hikari and I are going to the spa. It's kind of girly, so you can spend the day with your brothers and Dad today." My mother smiled at me gently. "Bye, sweetie!"_

_"But..." _It was already too late. She already left with my younger, more feminine sister. _"But...I'm a girl too..."_

It's always been like this.

People assumed just because I was a tomboy, I never wanted to do girly things. Unknowingly, they were really just pushing me closer to the option of just getting a sex change.

I'm a tomboy, but even I like to do girly things sometimes. They don't seem to understand that. They just push me farther away from girls to do more masculine activities and hang with the guys more. I barely had any female friends of my own. It was just me and the guys...well, aside from Kathy.

Hikari is my younger sister. Our names were similar, but we were not.

She was feminine, pretty popular, and _cute_. She was the daughter our mother always wanted. A girly daughter to go shopping with, to go to the salon with, to go to the spa with, to do _everything_ with...

I spent more time with my dad, but that didn't necessarily make me "Daddy's little girl." I was more like a third son...

And my brothers? Takeru and Yuki? They toughened me up.

We got into fights a lot as children, wrestling and spitting on each other.

A few good things came out of it, I learned how to defend myself, and I learned to spit for distance. In other words, I wasn't weak. I could fight my own battles. Not like our hometown was a dangerous place to begin with anyway... Just a what if.

My train of thoughts was interrupted as I felt a warm sensation pressed against my face.

I looked up.

Ho. My. Gawd.

I rammed my face into Gill Hamilton's chest!

I immediately blushed and spewed a string of apologies and ran off before he could so much as blink.

My face was burning up and not because I just ran.

"Hey, Akari, what's up?"

"N-nothing, Kathy!"

"Doesn't seem like nothing..."

"N-no, it really is nothing."

"...If you say so. Ready to go to Renee's?"

"Y-yeah...yeah, let's go."

-/-

Kathy and I listened as Renee told us about her love life.

The whole time she was gushing about "how cute Toby was the other day" and that she was gonna buy him a white rose for Valentine's Day.

"Yeah, I'm actually thinking of buying one too," said Kathy.

"Oh really? For who?" I tuned them out and rode ahead of them for a bit.

It was then I saw Gill exiting Marimba Farm, despite it being closed today, probably running an errand for his father, the mayor.

I immediately slid off my horse, Tobias, and hid behind the tall animal, hiding my face in his black layer of hair. I took a peek as I watched the platinum blonde walk by.

_Oh, gee, he was too beau-_

I felt my body stiffen when he turned around and looked me in the eye.

Oh, crap! He saw! He knows! Now he thinks I'm a creeper! My life is now over!

I quietly lamented to myself, exaggerating and thinking of the worst possible case scenarios ever, as I lowered my face back down into Tobias's side, clutching his saddle for dear life.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw his beautiful face. He actually took the time to bless me with his appearance and winning smile. I could just drop dead happy right now!

I hesitated at first but smiled shyly back. I knew my face was just growing redder by the second.

I noticed he kept his hand on my shoulder, which didn't help my blush at all.

The warmth in that one spot began to fade as he removed his hand and started walking away.

He flashed me one more dashing smile before leaving me alone to hide my face again. I was practically sniffing my own horse the way I buried my face in its sheen coat like that, but I didn't care.

Not a word. Not one word was exchanged, but that was still enough to get me so worked up.

The smiles he gave me. They were ones of...recognition. He knows me! I reveled in this realization and started laughing hysterically.

I didn't know what to think. I was just happy. Plain slap happy.

Maybe. Just maybe. I'll buy a white rose too.


	4. Chapter 4

**THAT STUPID SOCIAL LADDER**

_ Meet Akari. She's just your typical, average tomboy. Now, meet Chase. He's just your typical, ever-popular jerkface. Everyone's riding different levels here on this stupid, social ladder we call high school._

Chapter Four

-/-

Somebody. Please. _Anybody_. If you could be so kind as to shove scissors in my ears. Anything to drown out Luke's rendition of Rebecca Black's infamous song, _Friday_.

I know Luke meant well, but...did he have to sing right next to me? He was oblivious to all the reactions he was getting and to the fact that he was horribly tone-deaf. Poor guy. He was far too oblivious for his own good, but, like always, in response, he would simply say, "Ignorance is bliss..."

The guy was smarter than people gave him credit for.

Perhaps, it was just a lack of application.

-/-

As if I hadn't run into enough people and objects in my life, I bumped into another person in the hallway today.

And, as if fate wanted to make our outlooks of each other even worse, if that was even _possible_, I ran into the bastard who makes even the devil look angelic.

_This day just gets better and better, huh?_

I decided to play it safe for today; I didn't make any snide comments. I simply glared and flicked him off promptly before running off.

Clearly, I made it obvious I didn't like him...and that was an understatement.

I stopped running when I spotted Kathy and Renee, each buying a white rose from the seniors.

Oh, shoot, I forgot to bring money...

"How much money are those?"

"Ohh~ Akari, are you actually going to buy something you claimed to be stupid and pointless? Hmm~?" teased Kathy.

I pouted rather than glared because it was unfortunately true. "Shut up."

She and Renee giggled at me. "One rose is 1,000G," they said in unison.

Holy crap! That's an expensive little piece of shit! And I told them so.

"Well, yeah, Akari, they gotta make a profit somehow," said Kathy.

"Yeah, one rose at Marimba farm sells for about 500G."

"Then why are they selling it for double the price? That's a little outrageous, dont'cha think?"

They both shrugged. "They're jerks?"

I couldn't argue with that...

"Well, crap... Today's the last day they're selling, and it seems I have forgotten my wallet at home. Whatever shall I do-"

"Save it, Akari. You're not getting a coin from me."

I shot Kathy a look but continued the innocent act. "But, Kathy, I didn't even ask you anything. I'm not gonna borrow money from my. _Best. Friend._"

"Awesome."

"W-wait, no! That's when you're supposed to be like, 'D'aww, Akari! I love you so much! Here's some money! Now, go get your man!'"

Kathy sighed. "All I have is 500-" I snatched the gold coins out of her palm.

"Thanks Kathy!" I then turned my head to Renee and smiled, tilting my head. "Renee~?"

"I'm not even gonna waste my time arguing," she said, dropping another 500G in my hand.

I then ran up to buy a rose.

"Sorry, we're out."

I felt my heart and any hope I had drop to the pit of my stomach. "Oh... That's okay." And I glumly walked back to them, saying they were sold out.

They looked down on me and went "Aww, it's okay, Akari... Um, I'll buy you ice cream?" Ah, yes, the ever popular 'ice cream' sympathy... Lucky for her I was a sucker for it every time.

-/-

I felt a soft crunch underneath my foot. I looked down and found a white rose on the ground.

How sad.

Why would somebody throw this out? Someone gave away their feelings through this rose...

Who's the insensitive bastard who would do this?

I looked up at the person in front of me.

Why am I not surprised? _Chase_. It was so obvious now. After he had thrown that yellow rose at Maya, who was brave enough to confess her crush, I should have known he would throw away all his white roses too...

He doesn't care about other people's feelings. He was an ass, and asses like him were born without them.

I didn't care though. I was going to give this ungrateful punkass a piece of my mind.

I tapped his shoulder and he turned around to look down on me.

He didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow at me, so I took the opportunity to shove the rose in his face.

He looked at the flower then me. He gave both questioning looks.

I started to walk away when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back in his direction.

He was still staring at the rose in his hand.

It was scary how silent we both were. We usually shot cruel, rude remarks at each other. He seemed to be in deep thought though, so I didn't dare break the silence.

He gave me an all-knowing smirk.

Did he...did he finally just understand how important a girl's feelings are? Well, it's kinda too late for that, don'tcha think? I wouldn't be surprised if the girl was crying and never wanted to see Chase again.

In return, for showing him the erorr of his ways, he bestowed upon me...a red rose.

...Wait a minute.

I had to do a double-take! Chase, undeniably hot but horribly rude Chase, was giving _me_ a red rose.

_Didn't_ _that_ _mean..._

Oh, crap...


	5. Chapter 5

_I LOVE REVIEWS!_

_Many thanks to the following lovely people:_

**_DesertRoseSparty _**

**_theatrelove123_**

**_floopyrocks_**

**_skitsophraniac_**

**_HOWDAREYOUSTEALMYCOOKIE_**

_Hey, um, guys, there's a poll on my profile *hint hint*! ;) Haha, wink!_

_There's lots of swears in this chapter, sorry! That's just how my characters talk! They're so bad..._

* * *

><p><strong>THAT STUPID SOCIAL LADDER<strong>

_ Meet Akari. She's just your typical, average tomboy. Now, meet Chase. He's just your typical, ever-popular jerkface. Everyone's riding different levels here on this stupid, social ladder we call high school._

Chapter Five

-/-

I wasn't sure what to think at the moment...I mean, was this _really_ happening?

I blushed as my fingers brushed his when I accepted the rose.

Maybe Chase wasn't _so_ bad... Maybe he wasn't an asshole. Actually, no, I'll never admit that. _Maybe he's just a minor asshole._

"From the look you gave me earlier today, I could have sworn you hated me..."

"W-what?"

What was this feeling? _Guilt?_

I believe there's something wrong with this picture...

"You. Hate. Me. What part don't you get?" He ran a hand through his peachy locks and smirked again. "But, of course, you're just as obsessed with me as the rest of them..." _And there it is..._

WHAT. I was too shocked to speak. How could he assume something like _THAT_?

"Playing hard to get? Please. Don't flatter yourself. Sorry, but I'm just not into women- excuse me- _people_, like you."

Oh, I just had to hear this... "What kind of _women_ are like me?" I crossed my arms.

"You're _average_. You're just not good enough for me."

"Wasn't it _you_ who just gave me a red rose?"

"I just gave one back out of courtesy... They were sold out of yellow roses, so I got a red one. It's not like it _meant_ anything... I mean, come on, _me_? Like _you_?"

Never mind. I was wrong, Chase. You are a _major_ asswipe...

I was about to scream my head off at him, saying I didn't like him, that it was a misunderstanding..._but I couldn't_...

It's not what you're thinking.

I don't like Chase. I mean, how could I? He was right about one thing: we were too different.

And that's not the only reason. I've got plenty of others.

_1. He was an asshole._

_2. He was an insensitive bastard._

_3. He was a cold, rude "mean girl."_

_4. ...Did I mention he was an ass?_

The point is, as hard as I may, I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth.

_Why?_ Because revenge is oh so much sweeter...

I gave him a swift kick. Too bad my aim was way off, so I ended up kicking his stomach instead.

I knocked the wind outta him though, so it was just as satisfying...

It wasn't the extravagant, over-the-top revenge I was looking for, but revenge is revenge. Maybe I could get back at him again later.

-/-

"Eee! Tonight's the auction in the school auditorium!" squealed Hikari.

I gave her a weird look. "Why are you so excited?"

"I wanna buy a senior, duh!"

"Since when?"

"Since now because I said so!" she said huffily, pulling her lower lip into a pout. Even though she was a spoiled brat, Hikari managed to even make _that_ look cute. Me? I was never cute...except to Kathy, but that's how all girl friends are like. They always say, _'Aw, you're so cute!'_

"Who are you buying?"

"Weeeell..." she blushed, looking off to the side. "That Chase guy is really cute..."

I did a spit-take.

"Eww! Akari, you're so gross!"

I wiped my mouth in my sleeve. "You caught me off-guard..." I cleared my throat. "Chase. You're really buying Chase."

"No. I don't have that kind of money to buy Chase. Everyone's gonna want him."

"I didn't think Chase'd be the type to participate in such a humiliating event..." I thought out loud.

"He was forced into it." Of course, she would know this, gossipping with all the other girls did that to you. My sister was pretty popular herself after all.

But, then an idea donned me...revenge.

Maybe I will get my over-the-top revenge after all.

I swear to buy Chase, no matter what, and make his life a living hell...

Sure, it was a stupid, impulsive spur of the moment idea, but hey. He needs a good kick in the balls to set him straight. Besides, revenge makes everything better..._right?_

-/-

I saw him catch my face in the crowd, a spark of recognition in his eyes. He smirked.

God, shut up, Chase! I'm not doing this for you! I'm doing this for me; I want my revenge, dammit! And, maybe I could give you to my sister, so she'll stop annoying the hell outta me, complaining to me that she doesn't have a boyfriend... Two birds with one stone! Hah!

As the price rose to ridiculous heights, the number of bidders decreased.

Hell, the price was ridiculous when it first started! Under normal cicrcumstances, I wouldn't have bought this piece of crap for even 10G!

But..._10,000G?_

I was too stubborn for my own good, I wasn't going to give up now. I have already made a complete fool out of myself by even participating in this stupid auction, I might as well get something out of it.

But damn, these girls were determined to take Chase home with them! The price now doubled, and they were still hanging on strong! I couldn't believe how desperate they were...

And I was ashamed of myself, associating with them. People always ignored me due to my unpopularity and average-ness. Now...they would know me as a crazy stalker, Chase-fan. Which, by the way, I totally wasn't!

But, what did they know? People always jump to conclusions. _Everyone's an idiot..._

The price slowly increased by increments of 100G.

I was running out of money here!

God dammit! No no no NO! I came too far to lose now, dammit! For the sake of my dignity, I can't lose!

23,700G...

A few girls dropped out.

23,800G. Another down.

23,900G. Damn, this last girl would just not quit, would she?

Shit, what'll I do? I'm outta cash, and I need more now!

I quickly remembered the 1,000G I got from Kathy and Renee earlier today.

I immediately raised the bid to a whopping 25,000G.

I amusedly watched the other girl frantically search through her purse for more. Suck it, bioootch!

I swear I saw tears streaming down her face.

Please. Save your tears. This piece of crap I bought isn't worth them.

_SOLD!_ Chase was mine...

He sauntered down the stage toward me, hands stuffed in his pockets.

Now, if I were any other girl, this would be the part where I gape, drool, and squeal over how lucky I am to "get such such a _great_ guy..."

Yeah, yeah, he was handsome, honestly, who gives a damn?

I stood there, waiting for him to reach me.

...And, he totally just walks right past me as if I'm invisible.

I avoid the sudden urge to faceplant and/or Bruce Lee kick him in the back of the head. I simply shift myself to face his back. "What the hell was that, you ass? In case you didn't know, I just _bought_ you!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever...thanks for supporting the senior class or some shit like that..."

I effing hate his guts...

Okay, lemme try this again. "I said...I...BOUGHT...YOU."

He stared at me as if I had a giant peach for a head, but I'm not him, so I don't know what the hell he _was_ staring at. "I don't like you...and it's obvious you don't like me. Wouldn't it just be easier if we stop seeing each other?"

Oh my flippin' gawd. "Dammit, I spent a shitload of money on you! You're gonna do whatever I damn well please, you son of a-" I stopped to notice all the weird looks I was getting.

Chase seemed unfazed by all the attention we were getting, probably so used to it, he doesn't even notice. That smug bastard.

"Now, what's going on here?"

Oh, gawd... What is _he_ doing here?

"P-principal Hamilton!" I quickly bowed in apology.

Chase shot me another one of those "What-the-hell-are-you-doing-retard?" looks. I stomped on his foot and he cussed under his breath before doing the same.

"Looks to me like a couple of lovebirds!" Principal Hamilton chuckled.

"We're not lovebirds!" we shouted.

Huh. There's something we can agree on.

"Hoho, then what are you two fighting about?"

"Chase is supposed to be my servant, but he absolutely refuses to do what I say even after I bought him," I stated matter-of-factedly.

"Chase, you have to obey Akari because she bought you. Don't you wanna help out your class? This does go toward your senior prom, you know."

Peach-head grumbled and muttered a, "Yeah whatever..."

"Good." And with that, our _"beloved principal"_ waddled off.

"...What?" I innocently asked.

"I frickin' hate you."

"Haha! Is that supposed to make me feel bad?"

He turned his back on me and began strutting away.

"Hey!" I called.

"What?" he spat with malice, which was a different tone than he usually gave me. _...Was I scared?_

Hell nah! It's hard to take someone seriously when they look like Chase. Trust me, that baby-face was not intimidating at all.

"Drive me home."

I continued to watch as he still walked farther away from me. Surprisingly, he turned his head back. "You coming or not?"

Needless to say, I was taken aback. Didn't think he'd actually do it...

_Wow..._

Chase, the bastard king of the school, has officially been whipped by the obviously superior, slavedriver, Akari.

...

Man, life is good!


	6. Chapter 6

**THAT STUPID SOCIAL LADDER**

_ Meet Akari. She's just your typical, average tomboy. Now, meet Chase. He's just your typical, ever-popular jerkface. Everyone's riding different levels here on this stupid, social ladder we call high school._

Chapter Six

-/-

"Chase!"

It was Monday, marking the first day of Chase's servitude.

"..." He lay there, well...emotionlessly.

Too bad for him, I didn't care, so I kicked him.

"...The hell you want?" he finally grumbled in response.

"Go buy my lunch!"

"Hell no, do it yourself, you lazy punk-ass!"

"Excuse me? Chase. Who bought you?"

"..."

"Chase!"

He sighed. "...You did."

"How much did I spend to buy you?"

"...A crap-"

"No no no... Allow me to correct that." I cleared my throat. "A _shit_-load..."

The Peach-head rolled his eyes as he got up on his feet. "...?"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "...What?"

"Don't give me that stupid look. The hell you wanna eat?"

Ho my gawd...

He's actually doing it! Chase, the most-wanted guy in school, is buying me, Akari, lunch! I still couldn't believe it...

...How many girls' hitlists am I on now?

"Um...I think I want...uh..."

"Come on. I don't have all day!" he tapped his foot angrily.

Unable to come up with anything, I replied, "Surprise me." He didn't have to be told twice. "You know..." I began a conversation with the back of his head. "Maybe you're not so useless after all..."

I swore I could have heard a light chuckle in response, but perhaps it was just my imagination...this is _Chase _we're talking about after all...

-/-

"So what...? Am I expected to carry your books and shit or what?"

I gave him a blank stare before the biggest grin curled onto my face. "Not a bad idea!" I curtly dumped my back- excuse me, _fat-pack_ as I call it, into his unsuspecting arms. "You're getting better at this servant stuff!"

I then walked ahead of him when it really should have been the other way around since _he_ should be escorting _me_ to class, but oh well-

_Bmph!_

God dammit! What is it with me always crashing into someone? If it's another freshman, I'll-

"Hey, sorry about that. You okay?"

Oh, Fate, you toy with me much too often...

He gripped my shoulders and steadied me- since I was too out of it to balance myself- while I dumbly nodded in response.

Gill smiled at my dorkiness before leaving (sigh...), pearly whites practically gleaming. _Whoa_, I need sunglasses...

"..._Akari!_"

"Huh...?" I snapped out of my trance to look back at Chase. Of course, he had to ruin it...

"Wow, you must really like him..." he said, clutching his stomach, stifling laughs.

Crap, _he_ _knows_...

It looks like I'll have to end him. He cannot know. _He just can't._

"Chase?"

"Hm?"

"Prepare to die."

He saw me readying a punch, to which he cowered, holding his hands out in front of him in a sad attempt to shield himself. "Now, now. Let's not get hasty. I...I happen to know what you're going through..."

Yeah, right...

_As if Chase understands what I'm going through..._

He's an ass. What does he know?

"You know I can hear you..."

Crap! Did I say that out loud? The hell is wrong with me today?

Chase sighed. "Fine. Don't trust me. I just thought this was a chance for us to get to know each other better...that's all."

"You're so full of youself. Why the hell would you wanna get to know me?"

"Well, if we're gonna be seeing each other for the next four weeks, we might as well _try_ to be friends." He then slyly wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close to the point that our cheeks were squished against each other...

...

I think the list of girls that want me dead now just jumped ten pages...

"Akari...you're a girl- or at least, I think you are one, and I'm sure you must have at least _one_ friend. You know what friends do, right?"

I gave him a death glare, which didn't affect him in the slightest as he continued, whispering into my ear, "_They tell each other secrets..._"

The hell? I ripped his arm off me as I struggled out of his grip, rubbing the ear he whispered in, the ear he dared even _breathe_ on!

"Are you retarded or something?" I spat.

"I could say the same thing 'bout you..." he smirked, crossing his arms in the process. "Come on, tell me all the details. You can trust, your pal, Chase, can'tcha?"

"First of all, ew, don't lump me together with you like that. Secondly, we're not friends therefore you're not my '_pal._' And thirdly, I could _never_ trust you..."

_Brrriiiing! The distinct noise of a schoolbell..._

"Shit, we're late... Thanks a lot, Chase..." I muttered curses under my breath.

"Don't mention it, buddy!" he slapped my back.

I opened my mouth to retort but decided against it.

He was a lost cause...

-/-

I happily slammed my locker. I dunno why, but the rest of the school day put me in a good mood.

It was then Chase decided to rear his ugly-ass face in.

Wow...happy feeling's suddenly gone...

"The hell you want?" I spat with malice.

"Okay, if we're gonna be friends, I can tell we're gonna need a lot of work."

...The hell? "I _don't_ wanna be your damn friend."

"Sure you do. Who wouldn't? You're a lucky girl, Akari."

I glared at him before promptly turning my back on him to leave.

Before even that could be done, he grabbed my shoulder and dragged me along the floor.

Who exactly is bossing who around now? Because I can't tell anymore...

-/-

It wasn't long until Chase managed to get both of us to the student parking lot. It's a wonder how he did it really, considering those toothpicks he has for arms...

He plopped me down on the asphalt because _that_ wasn't dangerous at all! Sarcasm included...

"Hey!" he called. "Stop being an idiot, and get off your fat ass!"

Nuh uh. I'd like to keep at least a shred of dignity left by keeping this one rule of thumb: Akari Thomas does not take orders from _anybody_.

But...

I didn't exactly wanna sit here all day either _sooo_...

I slowly got up and brushed myself off before reaching for the car door.

I opened it only to have the freak with a giant peach for a head yell at me, "Go sit in the back! My friends are coming too."

I gave him an empty stare before slamming the door as hard as I could.

As I opened the door to the backseat, I was met with more yelling, "Hey, watch it! This is my baby!"

To show him how much I cared about his "baby," I got in and slammed the door harder than the first time. Chase cringed at the action. He opened his mouth to yell again but closed it almost immediately since he finally got the idea that I wouldn't do a damn thing he said. No matter how much he whined or complained...

I crossed my arms. "Where are we even going?"

"I dunno..."

_Great..._ A heavy, awkward silence hung over us as we waited for his other friends to arrive. "Sooo...wanna tell me about that little crush o' yours?" asked Chase, a huge, cocky smirk spreading onto his stupid face.

"No," I said with indifference.

"Aw, come on! Friends tell each other secrets!"

"Then I'll tell you when we do become friends, which we're totally _not! _And never shall be!"

"I'm gonna hold you to that. Now, I definitely wanna make sure we become friends."

I scoffed. "And, how, pray tell, do you plan on doing that?"

"Oh, you'll see..." replied Chase, giving me a sly grin while drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

I reared back in disgust. It was a simple question, really, yet he had to make _that_ stupid look…

After much waiting, Chase's stupid friends finally showed up. I didn't care who they were, but if they were friends with that stupid bastard, that made them stupid too...

Of course...why am I not surprised?

More popular seniors... Not surprising at all, really, considering how Chase only wanted to hang out with people he deemed worthy...that no good son of a-

-/- (Third Person POV) -/-

Owen jumped into the unoccupied front seat, causing the car to shake due to the sudden shift of weight.

Luke mirrored his action, sliding into the back, glad to have the entire backseat to himself. He sprawled his arms and legs out, stretching himself across the leather interior.

'That's strange...' he thought to himself. The backseat was unusually..._lumpy_. Warm, too. Almost _strangely_ _comfortable_, even. 'What does Chase have back here? ...A cushion?'

The blue-haired boy was definitely not expecting the other occupant as he rolled over onto his stomach to lock eyes with each other. "...Akari? What brings you here?" he asked, a cheeky grin growing into place.

"Um... Hi. Luke. Could you get off of me?"

The sound of the unfamiliar voice caught the bulkier male's attention. "Huh?" He turned around in his seat to get a good look at the newcomer. "Chase, who's your new friend?"

"What?" The meanest of the three friends turned around also to look at Akari.

'What? Did he forget I was even here?' thought Akari.

"Oh, don't mind her, Owen. That's just Akari...nothing special..."

"Ass..." muttered Akari under breath, so none of them could hear.

"Isn't she a junior?" asked Owen.

"Yup!" confirmed Luke. "Akari and I have physics together!"

"Really? Chase, how did you get to know Akari then?"

The red-head said nothing. For obvious reasons, he didn't want to explain his situation to his closest friends.

Akari, feeling devious, decided to push it. "Yeah, Chase? How on earth did _this_ happen? I mean, after all, I'm just a _humbly_ _average_ junior. How could the king-of-the-school, who probably has all the girls eating out of the palm of his hand, Chase, know about someone like _me_?"

Chase's face remained void of any emotion. He cleared his throat before promptly replying with some sort of bull-shittery. "Um. You see... I... I have decided, out of the goodness of my pure heart, to take on a misfortunate, orphaned child under my wing...because...because I'm a saint... And that's what saints do. I think."

What. The frick. Was that.

Poor, ignorant Luke took what he said literally, the corners of his lips pulling down into a frown, and cried, "Akari! You're an orphan?"

The alleged 'orphan' only sighed. "I'm not an orphan, Luke. I have a family."

Still believing Chase, Luke only continued to express his worry, "You've been adopted? That's good but... Oh, goddess, I had no idea you were a poor orphan!"

"Um, Chase never said I was poor-"

Fortunately for her, Owen came to the rescue. "Luke, I don't think Akari is _really_ an orphan..."

"W-what? B-b-but Chase said-"

"Chase is a liar," Owen said bluntly.

"Oh... Well then...what's the real reason why Akari's hanging out with us?"

Realizing her slave was far too gutless to explain his own predicament, Akari did it herself. "I bought him."

"Why?" The two of them asked in unison.

She couldn't say why...

First of all, Chase was there. She wasn't going to let him hear that it was all for revenge. Chase didn't like the idea of being bossed around, but he never questioned her reasons for buying him.

Secondly, his friends were there. It's not like she could just say, 'Oh, well, you see, I don't exactly like your best friend. In fact, I hate him, so I bought him to make him miserable.' Yeah...as hilarious as it could be, in a cosmic sort of way, there were many reasons to just not do that...

"W-why...?" she repeated their question. "Uh..."

Finally joining in the conversation, Chase decided to butt in to make it easier on the both of them.

Now, there were a lot of things Chase could say at the moment. Many of which could easily make Akari look stupid, heartless, or both. He could say she was obsessed with him. He could say she found pleasure in torturing poor souls. Heck, he could say she was obsessed with him _and_ found pleasure in torturing him...that's how insane she was.

...Why not go with number one?

"She's probably hopelessly in love with me. In fact, she probably pines for me and dreams about me every night," Chase said with a smirk, crossing his arms, feeling pretty victorious at the moment. "Maybe she bought me, so I could take her to the school dance or the school fair."

The other two boys simply stared at Chase, not sure if they should believe him or not.

Akari, on the other hand, was lookin' hella pissed. She was about ready to unleash hell on Chase or maybe even push him off a cliff into an abyss. Waiting at the bottom of the ravine would be a colossal, man-eating snake...with four heads...that could spit acid...and that could breathe fire...and fly...somehow.

Owen and Luke noticed the dangerous vibe Akari was giving off, and so, both shrunk back in fear, quickly accepting the fact that Chase was, indeed, lying again, so they wouldn't be next.

Akari really wanted to kill Chase, but if he died, she knew no one would be driving the car anymore, creating more chaos, which would, of course, be dangerous. For that reason, and that reason only, she restrained herself from brutally mauling the boy.

"Okay, just for that, Chase, I'm gonna make you take me to the fair and buy me whatever I want."

"What? Hell no. I don't take orders from you, bitch!"

"Chase, lemme say this in a language you'll understand: I said, take me to the frickin' fair, you good-for-nothing, lazy-ass, son of a mother-*bleep*in bitch!"

"..."

It was only moments later that the silence was broken by Luke as he leaned forward to whisper in Owen's ear.

"_Holy shit._ I think I just witnessed Chase Collins get owned by a girl."


	7. Chapter 7

**THAT STUPID SOCIAL LADDER**

_ Meet Akari. She's just your typical, average tomboy. Now, meet Chase. He's just your typical, ever-popular jerkface. Everyone's riding different levels here on this stupid, social ladder we call high school._

Chapter Seven

-/-

Bright lights. Delighted screams and laughter. The thundering of roller coasters. The smell of the deliciousness that was the funnel cake.

Yep. It was finally Friday night, and we were at the school, where an amusement park stood in the school's parking lot for this one weekend.

"Why are we here again?"

God, why does this guy have such a hard time getting something through his head? Must be because his head is so freakishly huge, probably takes longer for these things to sink in or something...

I repeated the answer to him again, "Because you were being a dumb bastard earlier!"

Kathy pulled me to the side, whispering (which really didn't matter since it was so loud out here), "Are you sure we should be making Chase spend all this money on us?"

"Hell yeah, I spent a crap ton o' money on this guy! It's the least he could do..."

"Hey, Chase! Never thought I'd see the day you actually come to one of the school's events willingly."

All three of us whipped our heads back to find the one voice that somehow seemed to stand out from the others. Owen approached us, a huge grin on his face as he began poking fun at Chase.

"I'll have you know I did not come here on my own free will. I was forced here."

"Hah, riiiight...by who?"

"Them," he seethed, pointing accusingly at Kathy and me.

"Oh, her again?" Owen chuckled. "Akari, was it?" then he turned to Kathy and just stared. "Oh, uh...hey, Kathy."

"Hi," she greeted back, smiling.

I elbowed her gently, giving her a cheesy grin.

She slapped my arm away and giggled.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" asked Owen.

"We were just about to go on the ferris wheel," I said.

Both Chase and Kathy gave me confused looks, Chase's looked more pissed than anything.

"We were?" Kathy whispered into my ear.

"We _were_," I confirmed, nodding my head. "Care to join us, Owen?"

"Oh, uh, sure."

It wasn't the biggest ferris wheel, there was only so much room in a parking lot, but it was still pretty expensive to ride. Good thing I brought Chase, huh?

He paid for us, but I had to, uh, use a bit of force to convince him to do it.

...I threatened to kick his balls in.

I made sure that Kathy and Owen rode in their own compartment- unfortunately, that left me alone with Chase, but hey. Shouldn't he be happy that I'm trying to hook his friend up with a hot girl? ...Do guys not do that?

Whatever, anyways, Kathy and Owen were in the compartment just above ours, but despite the close proximity, it was difficult to make out much of what they were saying.

I heard some laughter and something about funnel cakes, but that was about it.

"You know, I'm beginning to think you just wanted to be alone with me on this stupid ride." Chase looked bored out of his mind. He really wasn't interested at all in what could be happening between his friend and mine?

"When will you get it through your thick skull that I didn't buy you because I like you?"

"Then why are we on the ferris wheel together?"

I simply pointed to the people who were once above us, now below us due to having passed the highest point in the circle.

Chase leaned forward to look down, sighed, and slumped back in his seat.

The two of us didn't say a word to each other for the remainder of the ride.

We got together with Kathy and Owen once again, exploring the different booths the park had to offer.

Kathy and Owen were shamelessly flirting with each other. I watched as they tried to catch goldfish at one booth but soon decided to leave them alone.

Instead, I set my eyes on the real prize.

Another booth was holding a huge chocolate brown teddy bear as a reward for whoever could shoot twenty baskets in ten seconds.

It was a dollar a go, but the horrible realization dawned me: hell, I was no athlete. Sure, I played some sports with my brothers, but I wasn't a professional.

_Twenty hoops in ten seconds? Holy buh-jeezus._

"Feh, don't even try, Akari."

I whipped around to meet Chase. "I-I wasn't gonna actually- pfft, w-what the hell were you even thinking?"

"Yeah, yeah...whatever, I saw that look in your eye. I know you want the bear, but it's a stupid scam. They just want your money. There's no way in hell you could ever win at this."

Challenge accepted, Chase. _Challenge frickin' accepted._

"Yeah? Well, I'll show you," I slammed a dollar on the counter of the booth.

Chase just guffawed, not bothering to cover up how crazy he sounded, as he watched me fumble with the basketballs. They weren't even the real basketballs people played with. They were those stupid, cheap, little, plastic basketballs that never bounced well.

Who the frick could play with this crap?

A bell tolled, signalling my time was up.

That didn't even feel like ten seconds, it felt more like...six...so yeah...whatever, shut up.

"Having fun?" I asked in the most threatening voice I could muster, trying to keep whatever shred of dignity I had left. I wasn't going to be made a fool of in front of this asshole.

"Tons, thank you," said Chase, wiping away a tear.

"...Chase," I demanded, hands on my hips, "go get me that bear."

And just like that, all of his laughter stopped. "The hell? No way!"

"Do it!"

"Why?"

"Because I said so, dammit."

He shot me one of his trademark glares. "...Come back in fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes? How many tries was that? Still, he's pretty confident that he'll even win it, huh?

I skipped back over to the booth Kathy and Owen were at. "Hey Akari," they greeted.

"Whatcha guys got there?"

"Owen won me a goldfish," replied Kathy, smiling.

We spent the next ten minutes or so thinking of names for the new pet and looking for something to snack on.

We settled on churros, not as a name for the fish, but a booth was selling them.

"Hey, where's Chase?" asked Kathy.

"Hm? Oh, he's probably still at that booth over there."

Spotting the unmistakeable head of orange hair, we walked on over to meet him.

"Chase, we have a churro for you if you want it," said Owen, holding the pastry out for him.

Chase turned around, grumpily shoving a ball of fur into my arms. "There. Happy?"

I couldn't believe it. He actually did it. I hate to admit it, but...he deserved props for that.

I had to be sure though. "Did you really win this?"

"Hell no. It's impossible. I can't do that- no one can. I had to negotiate a price with the guy to buy the stupid bear myself."

"Oh." Any respect I had for him immediately dissipated.

"Hey. You didn't specify how I had to get the bear for you. I just did. Does it matter how I got it?"

"...No. I guess not." I hugged the giant plushie closely.

"So, you got me a churro?"

"Yeah..."

"Buying that goddamn bear is not worth a frickin' churro. At least buy me a hundred churros to make it up to me."

"One churro or a hundred, just be happy you didn't get nothing, Chase."

-/-

Week two. We were now entering week two of Chase's servitude.

The Valentine's day Dance would be this next upcoming Saturday. One more week would go by, then Chase and I would part ways forever.

...Was I...sad?

...

Haha, hell no! It was just Chase after all. Why would I be sad about not seeing him, _of all people_, ever again?

It soon became a habit of mine to force Chase to go buy my lunch every day. As crazy as it sounds, we actually sat together at lunch time starting last week, and that too, became customary for us.

Kathy was reluctant to join me in doing so at first, but I managed to rope her into it, especially because I reminded her countless times that she would able to see Owen more often if she came along.

It was Wednesday again. Huh. Funny. Two Wednesdays ago, I clearly remember wanting to slit Chase's throat. Now we were eating lunch together. Don't get any wrong ideas. We were _not_ bonding. It was just easier to have him nearby in case I needed anything else from him.

We ate our lunchs outside in the courtyard, a privilege usually belonging to seniors, but I owned Chase, meaning any of his rights and privileges belonged to me as well.

"Dude, in a week it's gonna be spring," commented Luke, not bothering to chew his food.

"Yeah, just one more season, then we'll be _free_!" said Owen.

These two didn't seem to mind that two juniors were intruding on them and their senior-ness. They didn't even bother questioning why we were there in the first place.

The blue-haired boy continued, "That means we need to do something totally awesome, you know, so people don't forget our awesomeness after we leave!"

"...You mean like a senior prank?" I asked, butting in their conversation.

"Yeahhh!" agreed Luke.

"I dunno, what if we get suspended?"

"Dude, Owen, since when didja care 'bout stuff like that?"

"Since I found out I could get an athletic scholarship. I can't afford to get suspended _now_."

While they changed the topic of conversation to whatever was on their minds, I looked to Chase with curious eyes. "Hey, Chase. What college are you going to?"

He looked at me as if I were crazy. "_College?_" It was like an alien word to him. He tapped his chin in thought before replying with a nonchalant, "I dunno. If anything, probably just community college."

I don't know what led me to do it, but I continued on pressing him for more information. "Is there anything you_ wanna_ do...?"

He shrugged. "Dunno yet. Maybe I'll find out someday."

We shared a quiet moment to ourselves. It was almost as if- as if, we actually...understood each other for once.

...I could _gag._

Kathy reared her pretty little head in. "So, whatcha guys talkin' about?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, if by nothing, we mean talking about the future..." said Chase, giving her a sly grin.

"Wait, were you guys-"

"No!" I denied. "We were _not_ talking about _that_ kind of future. We were talking about college."

"Could've fooled me..."

I pulled the blonde off to the side, whispering, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Chase _did_ get you that bear..."

"Yeah, because I forced him to."

"Still, it was kind of sweet that he actually did it."

Chase? Sweet? Those two words could not be used in the same sentence unless 'is not' was in between.

-/-

After a long day at school, Kathy and I spent time with Renee as usual, horseback riding.

There was a real surprise when I got back home though.

"I'm home!" I announced as I came in through the front door.

"Welcome home, then."

No, it couldn't be...

"G-Gill? W-w-what are you doing in my house?"

Yeah, you probably guessed it...

"I'm here for your sister," he said.

Oh. Of course he was. She was the cute one, after all...

"Hey. Do you wanna hang out?"

I dumbly pointed at myself, thinking he meant some other 'you.'

He politely smiled, "Yes, you." He must have sensed my discomfort because he added, "I'm just your sister's servant. She bought me."

Wow. I actually had no clue that she did.

Since when did she...?

"Speaking of which, where is she?" I asked.

That girl...she should know better than to leave a guest, let alone- Gill, like this...

"A friend of hers called a while ago, and she ran upstairs."

I sighed. "I'm sorry. You should have gone home. It doesn't seem like she's gonna get off the phone any time soon."

"No, it's okay. I can spend time with you now."

My cheeks were probably burning red.

"Um, o-okay. What do you wanna do?"

"Whatever you want to do," he said, flashing me another smile.

I quickly racked my brain for an idea. Anything. I can't let this chance go to waste. If I don't come up with something quick, he might leave, and this may never come up again.

"Uh, do you wanna go walk around the shops in town?"

"Sure, sounds great. As long as I'm with you, anything's fine." This guy just wouldn't lighten up on the charm, would he? N-not that I minded or anything, but...God, I felt like I would just melt right then and there...

We had stopped by the tailor's shop first.

I walked through the store, touching anything that caught my eye. Gill simply followed me, he was never too far behind.

"Some new accessories just came in if you'd like to see," said Luna, putting on one of her winning smiles.

I felt myself gravitating toward the glass counter where she was.

"Oh, wow, this looks nice."

"If you like that, maybe you'll like this one too," Luna continued her prodding.

"...I like this." A pale hand reached out in front of me to grab something.

I turned around, almost butting heads with Gill. Since when did he get so...close?

Before I knew it, Gill was at the cash register, already making a purchase. Shoot, I never got to see what it was...

I took a step closer to him, trying to peek into his bag without him noticing.

"Are you all done?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah. Yeah."

He laughed. "It's okay if you're not. You can say so."

"No. Really I am. Um...let's go."

As soon as we got outside, Gill's cell phone rang.

I left him alone to talk, but when he hung up, he looked displeased.

"Sorry," he said, "I need to go home. Looks like we'll have to cut this date short."

Whoa! Wait! Back up! Did...did he just call this a date?

"Oh, th-that's okay. I...I had fun," I said, smiling awkwardly.

"Good," he smiled back at me. "Do you need me to walk you home?"

"No, no, it's fine!" I vigorously shook my head.

Needless to say, I was panicking. Why? Because I was nervous, and this was Gill we were talking about. How could I not be nervous around him?

Of course, I wanted him to walk me home, but could I really just say that out loud?

"Are you sure? I'd feel guilty if I left a girl in the middle of a date without an escort back home..." He called it a date again! I wanted to scream it out to the world.

"No, really, it's fine. Look. I'll call my sla- I mean, servant, to come pick me up. Then it'll be okay, right?"

"Well...all right then."

He looked at me expectantly.

...Oh! Right. Gotta call Chase now.

I waited eight dial tones before he picked up. "Whattya want?" he practically spat.

"Oh, uh, hey...Chase." I tried to hold back any possible threats to avoid looking like a bitch in front of Gill. "Can you-"

He interrupted with a flat "No."

"But...I didn't even finish asking-"

"I don't care."

I gritted my teeth together. I couldn't keep this up much longer. "What's that? You changed your mind? Thanks, Chase!"

I heard him say, "What the hell? I didn't say anything, dumbass!" but I ignored it.

"Yeah, so can you pick me up? I'll be waiting in front of the tailor's shop, okay?"

"Listen, I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but there is no way in hell I am gonna leave the comfort of my home to pick you up for whatever reason and drive you home. Find your own way back, you bit-"

"Thanks! Okay, byyyyeee!"

"Oh, you're not gonna hang up now, are y-"

I snapped my phone shut and turned around to face Gill.

"There! Problem solved! He's on his way, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Okay, if you say so, but I still feel guilty." He ran a hand through his hair. "Here. I bought this for you."

It was the accessory he bought at the tailor's. I desperately wanted to dig into the bag and see what it was, but I tried my best to keep my composure.

He seemed reluctant to just leave. "...I'll see you around then, Akari. Bye."

I didn't take my eyes off of him until I was certain that he was gone.

Sighing, I hugged the bag to my chest.

Then, it dawned me. Should I wait for Chase? Was he even coming?

I didn't have to wonder for long as I spotted his unmistakeable car. Not to mention, there was a giant peach driving it, so that helped too.

I hopped in and actually smiled at him for once.

He seemed taken aback. "Who flipped your happy switch?"

"I dunno. I just am, I guess."

"What's in the bag?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Because you're clutching tightly, makes it all very suspicious," he raised his eyebrows at me, "Got a secret in there?"

I scoffed. "You wish..."

"Okaaaayyy, so what's in it?"

He just would not give up, would he?

"If you need to know so badly, it's a present from Gill."

"Oohhh...so that's why you're so happy all of a sudden...You gonna open it?"

I stared down into the tiny bag, as if I could burn holes into the tissue paper that covered the top. I didn't wanna open it until I got home, but Chase got me all curious- and I mean, even more so than before.

So, naturally, I gave in.

I dipped my hand in, pulling out a little black box.

Chase was probably just as curious since I noticed him stealing peeks at it.

"Keep your eyes on the road, I'll tell ya what it is," I groaned at him.

This seemed to keep him at bay as he now kept his focus on the road in front of him.

As soon as I cracked the box open, I immediately closed it.

"What is it?" asked Chase.

"...It's a...it's a ring."

"A ring...?"

"Yeah..."

Chase raised an eyebrow. "Why did he give you a ring?"

"Probably to apologize...he said he felt guilty about not taking me home..."

The two of us shared an awkward silence, that is until Chase rudely broke it.

"_Gaaaayyy..._" he droned.

I blinked my eyes a few times. "Did you...did you just call Gill _gay_?"

"Uh, yeah?" he said matter-of-factly.

"WHY?" I practically shouted.

"He just gave you a ring? For not being able to take you home?"

"..."

"Then he's gay. I mean, it's not like you guys are even dating... Man, it's just so... Look, any guy who gets a girl a ring for something as petty as that is gay."

I stared at him in horrid disbelief. That frickin' bastard!

Just who the hell did he think he was?

I refused to talk to him for the rest of the way home.

When we were in the driveway, he spoke up, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean it. He's not _that_ gay-"

I shot him a glare.

"Listen. I don't like that guy though. You should stop hanging around him."

"Why? You're not my dad or my mom, so don't tell me what to do. It should be the opposite, I'm the one who gives orders around here."

"I mean this as a friend. He's not good for you."

"Not good for me? What do you know about what's good for me?"

"Akari, don't be such a stubborn ass. I'm trying to help you. I know how it feels to like someone and-"

"God, you're always saying that. That 'I know how it feels' and 'I know what you're going through' crap. Stop saying it because you don't."

He shot me an ugly look, this one was different from all the other looks I had received from him. This one seemed...hateful.

"...I like Maya, okay?"

I find that hard to believe...

"Then why are you such an ass to her? Why did you reject her in front of my class? Why don't you just tell her you like her?"

"Why should I confess?" countered Chase, figuring we were playing some stupid questions game. "No self-respecting dude would ever do that. It's lame and pathetic, and only softies do that crap. Why should a guy become a pussy, just to be with some stupid girl he happens to think is kind of cute?"

Un-_freakin'_-believable. How shallow was this guy?

"Akari, I know what you're thinking, but if you were a guy, you'd understand. Why can't girls just go out with guys without being so damn difficult? Instead, they absolutely demand all that romance and 'confession' junk. It's disgusting... I just don't see why I have to _tell_ her how I feel. Why can't she just figure it out?"

"Your crush is completely different from my crush, so don't even try to compare, Chase."

"Why are you so mad?"

Why _was_ I so mad? ...I had no clue.

Aside from the fact that yes, Chase was acting like a bigger asshole than usual...

"Nothing," I muttered before slamming his car door shut and storming inside.


End file.
